The stupidest act on car forums
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,631
Likes: 4,045
From: Maryland
Some of you seem to not have a grasp on what is required to gather information based on a license plate. Let's do a challenge: The OP can post his license plate number, then one of you can spend the money on the license plate searches and demonstrate how much or how little you can gather with that license plate. I know from personal experience that you can gather the VIN, make and model.
I agree with the OP (though not enough to have found it necessary to actually create a thread about it). lol.
Maybe it's different in Canada, but there are far more important things for me to worry about than blurring my plate...and in my profession, there are those who might want to cause me harm. And yet...I just can't be bothered. If someone wishes me harm, they'll find a way regardless of my plate being exposed in a photo on a website somewhere. Privacy is a huge issue in Canada, so gaining access to a person's info from a plate is VERY difficult. I choose my battles, and going to the effort or bother of blurring my plates, ain't one of them.
I once posted my Blackstone Labs report on a car forum. On it was my address and phone number. I received countless messages and responses from members aghast at the fact that this info was available to view. Again, I could care less....unless my credit card info was visible.
Maybe it's different in Canada, but there are far more important things for me to worry about than blurring my plate...and in my profession, there are those who might want to cause me harm. And yet...I just can't be bothered. If someone wishes me harm, they'll find a way regardless of my plate being exposed in a photo on a website somewhere. Privacy is a huge issue in Canada, so gaining access to a person's info from a plate is VERY difficult. I choose my battles, and going to the effort or bother of blurring my plates, ain't one of them.
I once posted my Blackstone Labs report on a car forum. On it was my address and phone number. I received countless messages and responses from members aghast at the fact that this info was available to view. Again, I could care less....unless my credit card info was visible.
lol on a side note im also a licence plate blocker, here and in classifieds , not sure why, I guess cause I seen others do it and felt there must be a reason for it
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 570
Likes: 132
From: ID
I blur my plate because I know how easy it is for someone to get a name and address from a plate number. And with the LS being a higher end car, even more so. There are many, many people who have access to these records--cops, DMV folks, government employees, I/T techs, etc. I once tracked down somebody by their plate number by just asking a friendly police officer.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 5,371
Likes: 526
From: BC Canada
and there I was driving all over BC asking everyone if they know roadfrog , I feel like such a fool now
Hey...look at my pic in my sig...you can see my plate number!!! lol
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,631
Likes: 4,045
From: Maryland
Well, this would demonstrate whether or not you're actually at risk, and you can figure it out yourself. You're also at risk taking photos of your car in recognizable areas that you frequent, or in front of your house, because we can identify some of these via recognition software programs. Yet, people have no qualms with posting those photos. If you were worried about that chance, you would not take the photos and post them online, period.
Police and DMV can track these thing, though giving you the information just because is very much illegal, while anyone can do a photo search with no legality issues.
Police and DMV can track these thing, though giving you the information just because is very much illegal, while anyone can do a photo search with no legality issues.
The point is, just because doing something doesn't reduce your risk 100% it doesn't mean its not worth doing. If somebody REALLY wants to find you, they can find you...but why make it easy? Why take a chance on it being easy?
By your logic whats the sense in locking your doors when somebody can always just break a window? Because they're a lot less likely to break a window then they are to try the door to see if its unlocked.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 773
Likes: 385
From: CA
License plates are an archaic system that may have made sense in the 1950's when Barney Fife was patrolling the streets. Today they should go to a discreet form of electronic registration and get rid of plates all together. Plus, they could design better looking cars without plates.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,595
Likes: 271
From: Kansas
License plates are an archaic system that may have made sense in the 1950's when Barney Fife was patrolling the streets. Today they should go to a discreet form of electronic registration and get rid of plates all together. Plus, they could design better looking cars without plates.
When a hit and run driver sideswiped my brand new Volvo and bounced me hard into a parked car in 1978, a witness got the guy's plate number and gave it to the police. I was too busy to get his plate number due to working on regaining control of my car.
I met the hit and run driver a few weeks a later ... in a courtroom. He wouldn't have been caught if there had been no license plates.
One of the primary reasons for dash cams is for recording the license plate numbers of offenders.
right now im on my phone at the boarding gate headed to Alberta hoping to buy a car and drive it 3500 kms back to toronto
CL Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,264
Likes: 481
From: MA
I just came upon this thread waiting to watch the Derby. I should move it to Car Chat because this has nothing to do with the LS 460.
I will say in Massachusetts only law enforcement can access license plate info. A friendly cop can look up a plate number for you, but his name is attached to that inquiry. If something suspicious happens to that car, they're going to look up who ran the plate. He better have a legitimate law enforcement reason.
I will say in Massachusetts only law enforcement can access license plate info. A friendly cop can look up a plate number for you, but his name is attached to that inquiry. If something suspicious happens to that car, they're going to look up who ran the plate. He better have a legitimate law enforcement reason.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 5,371
Likes: 526
From: BC Canada
I just came upon this thread waiting to watch the Derby. I should move it to Car Chat because this has nothing to do with the LS 460.
I will say in Massachusetts only law enforcement can access license plate info. A friendly cop can look up a plate number for you, but his name is attached to that inquiry. If something suspicious happens to that car, they're going to look up who ran the plate. He better have a legitimate law enforcement reason.
I will say in Massachusetts only law enforcement can access license plate info. A friendly cop can look up a plate number for you, but his name is attached to that inquiry. If something suspicious happens to that car, they're going to look up who ran the plate. He better have a legitimate law enforcement reason.
right now im on my phone at the boarding gate headed to Alberta hoping to buy a car and drive it 3500 kms back to toronto
Definitely (again in Canada)...if you run a CPIC (or OMS, etc) check on anyone here, it comes with a flag. Any systems I access, are flagged for review to ensure that I had good reason to do it and had direct need to know at that time. I've seen a few people get their fingers rapped. People want their privacy respected in this day and age. It's not like the "old days".
What are you looking at? That's a cool road trip though, if you come home with something!
What are you looking at? That's a cool road trip though, if you come home with something!
The seller was the nicest guy I've met in my whole life , the people out here in general seem nicer than in Toronto
It's a modified c6 grand sport making about 560hp at the crank
I'm leaving edmonton for Calgary tomorrow, then the big trek home
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 429
Likes: 148
From: WV
Every NLETS or NCIC query in the US is logged. Yes, you can get someone in LE to run a plate for you and give you the result. But if something shady goes down, there will be a clear and easy to follow trail right back to who ran it. Cops are getting jammed up with this all the time now and the word is pretty much out. If you do it, you better have a reason for it. Things were very different 20 years ago. Now, everything is on the record and I just find it somewhat humorous that people go to the trouble to blur a plate when at the same time 99% of those same people expose FAR more identifying information daily on social media.